Fever
by Zhe01
Summary: Different Kinds of fever. No plot stealing! A FujiEchizen fic.


**A different kind of fever.**

Echizen Ryoma sat at his desk.

"We don't have to know his favorite eyes, Tomo-chan!"

"There's no way – look," Tomoka said, making her way to Echizen's desk determinedly.

"Tomo-chan!" Sakuno exclaimed, attempting to stop her.

Echizen looked up. _So noisy._

Sakuno frowned, knowing – there's no stopping Tomoka.

"Ryoma-sama!" she said, too brightly.

Echizen almost grimaced.

"Who do you think has the prettiest eyes in the school?" she said, holding out pictures.

"I don't know any of those people."

"You don't have to," she said, grinning.

Echizen's eyebrows rose.

Sakuno blushed and took a step back.

"So? So?" she prodded.

"None of them."

"Eh... none of them? Do you think there's someone we missed?" Tomoka said, looking through the pictures.

He grunted a reply and went back to spacing out.

After school, he made his way to the clubhouse. Everyone froze and turned.

"Ah, here comes Don Juan!" Momoshiru exclaimed.

Echizen glanced behind him. "What the hell are you on about, Momo-senpai."

"Ah come on, we heard! So who's the lucky girl, huh? Ah, to be young and in love again, Eiji-senpai," he said, dramatically, sighing.

"Yes, yes, Momo!" Eiji added with the same intensity.

Echizen walked past them to his locker.

"Hoi! _Ochibi_!! We are demanding you tell us!"

"I don't know where you got that idea."

"But... Horio said..."

Echizen turned to the doorway... where Horio was no longer. "Eh? Is that what he said?"

"Well, he said you said that someone had pretty eyes then totally zoned out in class..."

"...in a dreamy expression..."

"...of bliss and unconditional puppy love...!"

Echizen looked between them and exhaled.

"Some girl in class asked who I thought had the prettiest eyes in the school from some pictures. I said none of them."

"But then... who do you think does? Is there a secret someone in there somewhere?" Eiji said, wiggling his brows.

Echizen's brow rose. "No."

"Aw... he's good, Momo. Your turn."

"Come on, Echizen just tell us...!"

Echizen looked around. Kawamura was trying not to listen, in an attempt to make him more comfortable. Kaidoh was doing the same, but the tense muscles more than gave him away. Fuji was tying his shoes while sitting on the bench, and god only knows what he's really doing or thinking. Inui was looking at him, pencil in position on a clean paper of the infamous copybook, while Momoshiru and Eiji looked on, hopefully. Tezuka-buchou was... Tezuka-buchou.

He sighed. "Fuji-senpai."

The "busy" people, including Fuji, looked up at that.

"Eh? You think Fuji-senpai has the prettiest eyes? Or were you just trying to tell him something."

"If only he doesn't hide them so much," Echizen said, his eyes locked with Fuji's. "I've never seen such a deep color of blue and such a cut on eyes before. They read everything so completely – you don't have to know what he's thinking to know his eyes are completely analyzing you and disarming you."

"Disarming? Ochibi, is there something you want to tell us?"

Echizen looked at him. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, beginning to walk out when Ryuzaki and Oishi blocked the doorway.

"Everyone," Oishi said, "we have great news!"

Everyone listened, but everyone, including Ryuzaki and Oishi, acknowledged the fact that Fuji's eyes still hadn't left Echizen's and they were completely analyzing and disarming him. They could see it in the visible disorientation of Echizen's frame.

Announcements and gasps later, Tezuka was so generous as to pair Echizen up with Fuji. _I swear they have the same evil genes._

They stood across the net.

"Who knew you thought my eyes were the "prettiest" eyes you've seen, Echizen-kun."

"Don't let your head grow too much."

Fuji chuckled. "Rough or smooth?"

"Smooth."

"Pity," Fuji teased, spinning.

"Hn."

"Rough. My serve."

"I want your court," Echizen arrogantly announced, already making his way around.

Fuji smiled, making his way over to the other court.

"Nah, Fuji-senpai?" he called from across as Fuji was preparing to serve.

Fuji paused and looked at him.

"Let's make this more interesting."

Fuji's smile widened.

"If I win, you have to keep your eyes open for a whole day."

"That's quite a request, what do I get if I win?"

"Whatever you want."

"Be careful what you bargain, fool!" Momoshiru called from the other court, but Fuji and Echizen's eye-contact lost him.

Fuji nodded, bouncing the ball twice pausing and tossing.

_Slice_, Echizen confirmed mentally, taking a split step to his right.

"Hm, I wonder if Ochibi wants to see Fuji's open eyes that much," Eiji said, an hour later.

"That's their business, Eiji. Concentrate," Oishi said before serving against Inui.

As Inui prepared to returned the ball, he muttered, "there's a 3 percent chance that they don't remember what they're playing for." He returned Oishi's serve. "But there's an 8 percent chance they do."

"And 89 percent?" Eiji said, volleying at Kaidoh's feet.

"They don't care because only they exist when they play."

Eiji stopped and looked at them. "That makes sense."

"Eiji!"

"WAH!" Eiji swooshed the racquet in front of his face and dropped Kaidoh's return by instinct. He glared at Kaidoh in mock-anger. "Kai-_doh_!"

"Sorry," Kaidoh muttered.

At almost a battle cry, everyone turned to the next court.

Eiji's eyes widened. "_Damn..._"

Tezuka stood next to the umpire's chair, arms folded, and watched. It was like watching an insulted white mountain tiger spar with a furious red-tail hawk. There was nothing else that would have described their game at that level, although it was naturally the tiger who had the piercing blue eyes and the hawk who stared an army down with it's regal deep golden eyes, it was more fitting the other way around.

Sliding the last few steps to almost a complete split, Fuji just managed to slice a return cross-court at the service line.

Echizen ran forward and returned the ball with the highest spin he could muster. _Spin!_

The next moments were silent as Fuji remained seated on the ground where he had been forced to almost split heartbeats ago, panting. Echizen's feet remained glued in the open stance he was in before hitting.

Seconds later, they met at the net, panting and sweating, to shake hands.

"I win," he said, holding out his hand.

Tezuka pushed himself off the umpire's chair.

Echizen looked at him then down to his hand.

Tezuka knew exactly what Echizen was trying not to do. He looked at Fuji who was looking at Echizen look at his hand.

Fuji lifted his hand to Echizen's cheek. "Don't be sad, Ryoma. Always higher – _always_."

Echizen nodded.

"Shake hands, Ryoma," he said, holding out his hand again.

Echizen took it this time.

"Out. Game, set and match," Tezuka announced. "Team assemble in the clubhouse after cool down and stretching."

Cool down was quite... quiet. It was the first time Echizen actually _lost_... in practice... where everyone was able to _see_.

"Hey, Echizen! Want to go grab some burgers?" Momoshiru said as they walked towards the clubhouse to change, trying to lighten up the mood.

"No," Echizen said, expressionless as ever.

"Ah, how about we go hit at the street court?"

"I don't feel like it."

"Eh? Don't feel like tennis?"

"Not right now."

"We can do something else...?"

"Momo-senpai, I'm going home to sleep."

Momoshiru frowned and held his hands up. "Fine, I give up."

Echizen entered the clubhouse and changed. He left as soon as he was done.

"Echizen," Tezuka's voice called behind him.

He stopped and turned. "Buchou."

"Today simply wasn't your day, don't slack."

He nodded. "See you," he said, continuing his way home.

As soon as he was out the gates, he heard someone call him, so he just sped up.

"My, my, Echizen-kun, is that how you treat someone who calls your name?"

He slowed down and looked over his shoulder. "Fuji-senpai, I'm sorry, I wasn't listening to the voice."

"Just what it was calling, huh?"

Echizen looked up at Fuji's lids, where his eyes were hidden before closing his own and turning to his front. "What is it you want me to do?"

"Mm?"

"You won. What do you want me to do?"

"Oh! You don't have to do anything for me." Fuji smiled.

"A deal is a deal."

"Hm, very well then."

They kept walking in silence.

Echizen glanced at Fuji.

"Well?"

"I'm thinking."

"I'm sure it wouldn't take that long for you to come up with something for me."

"Oh, I've just run through my millionth option."

Echizen rolled his eyes but kept walking.

"Ah, tell me more about my eyes," Fuji said, smiling wider.

Echizen snorted. "Narcissus who?"

"Aw, I won't drown in a lake, Echizen-kun, trust me."

"No senpai, you'll _drown_ a lake."

Fuji chuckled.

They kept walking.

"I'm waiting."

"I'm thinking."

"It sure didn't take you that long last time."

Echizen frowned. "I'm trying not too sound weird."

"Let your guard down, no one else is listening."

"Yeah, but you are."

"Am I that scary?"

"Kind of."

"Aw."

"Fever."

Fuji glanced at him. "Fever?"

Echizen nodded. "When they come upon you, they heat you up and the whole world seems cold. It would be so intense... sometimes to the point that it causes shivers and it can drive you delirious, completely under its power. It doesn't help they're so impossibly a deep blue. It's like if I look long enough... it's like if I move, I might fall in."

Fuji smiled. "All that in my eyes, Echizen-kun?"

Echizen grunted some reply.

"Funny, that's not what opponents have said, or teammates for that matter."

"Even you, senpai, know that you don't look at everyone the same way, whether you were wining or losing."

They stood at a crossroad.

"That's true." Fuji looked at Echizen, still smiling gingerly. "So... you like my eyes, Echizen? You like the way I look at you?"

Echizen looked at him, recognizing the teasing tone and expression. "I'm leaving."

He turned to take the other, longer way around.

"Aw... but I like your eyes too."

Echizen's eyes connected with Fuji's, looking back at him. _So blue... _"I like all of you, senpai," he said before realizing it, his eyes still locked. He shook himself out of the trance and took a step back.

Fuji's hand reached out and steadied him. "I'll walk you home."

"You don't have to," Echizen said, avoiding Fuji's eyes.

"I know."

Echizen felt awkward throughout the walk. _I should have just went with Momo-senpai. _"You don't have to come all the way, Fuji-senpai, I've walked home alone before."

"I know that."

They climbed the stone stairs to Echizen's house.

Echizen looked at him. "Thank you, senpai."

"You're very welcome."

Echizen nodded, opening the front door.

Karupin ran out.

"Hey, you! Get back in!"

Karupin ignored him and approached Fuji before circling his feet and mewing.

Fuji chuckled. "Looks like your cat likes me," he said, picking Karupin up and scratching the furry tummy and playing with the dark paws, eliciting more satisfied mews in a purring duet.

Echizen blinked. "Karupin doesn't usually act like that around strangers."

"Must like me then," Fuji said, putting the cat down.

Echizen shrugged.

"I like you... Echizen-kun." He put the cat down and straightened up, looking back at Echizen with his vey blue eyes. "All of you."

Echizen's gaze lingered, even after Fuji's eyes closed once more as he moved his foot around while Karupin followed it and mewed. Fuji smiled and reached down to scritch the irresistibly fuzzy head once he allowed his foot to get caught.

"Senpai... do you..."

Fuji looked up.

"Do you want to come in?"

"I'd love to."

They walked in, Karupin in tow, trying to race and play with Fuji's feet as they went up the stairs and into Echizen's room.

"Uhm... this is my room."

"I realize that."

Echizen blushed.

Fuji chuckled. "Hey, Echizen-kun, mind if I call you Ryoma?"

"Uhm... you already did."

"I guess I have."

"I kind of feel feverish a little."

"Aw... do my eyes make you hot?"

Echizen's jaw dropped. "Fuji-senpai!" he exclaimed before going to get some paracetamol in him.

"Are you ok?"

"It's not that bad, probably from not sleeping. I took Tylenol for it. I should be fine in a few minutes."

Echizen sat on the bed and lied back.

"Vitamin C."

"I already had one before practice."

"If it gets worse you're telling your mother."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Or I'll tell her."

"I'll tell her when she comes...jee!"

Fuji snickered and joined him, on his side. "Say, Ryoma... Want to find out how deep you can go?"

Echizen blinked.

"I won't let you fall."

Echizen was once again captured by intense blues. Once his brain functioned by itself again, he was lying against Fuji who sat on the bed, petting his hair, while Karupin mewed and climbed up onto the bed.

"Has the Tylenol worked yet?"

"What Tylenol?"

Fuji gave him a few seconds to collect his thoughts.

"Oh! Yes!"

"Feeling better?"

Echizen nodded.

Fuji kept petting his hair.

"I hate losing."

"You're still thinking about it."

"Of course I'm still thinking about it."

_Are you __**that**__ not used to losing, Ryoma?_

Karupin mewed.

"Go away, Karupin. _My_ human."

"Now, now... there's enough for both."

"I don't share, senpai."

"Wouldn't you stop calling me that, Ryoma?"

"Calling you what?"

"You saw my eyes, kissed my lips and are currently completely vegging on me, and you still call me senpai?"

"What do you want me to call you then?" Echizen sat up.

"Syuusuke."

"Syuu...suke..." Echizen said, testing the name. "Syuusuke. I like it."

"It's my name, you know."

Echizen stuck his tongue out.

"Careful where you stick that tongue, Ryoma."

Echizen smiled. "Syuu-suke."

Fuji chuckled.

"Hey... I just kissed you."

"Yes, I believe so."

"But... I might be sick..."

"That's ok – more excuses to stick around."

Echizen hummed, relaxing completely against him.

"Just let me know when you need you next dosage of eyes."

Echizen laughed tiredly.


End file.
